Description
INTRODUCING PIT GRAPPLING
This tournament will have 4 standard mat areas and a 20' x 20' mat area with slanted walls on each side.
ALL FINALS MATCHES TAKE PLACE IN THE PIT
Every bracket for kids and adults will compete on the normal mats and the finals matches will take place in the pit. To see an example of what our pit will look like watch Karate Combat or CJI matches. War Under the Lights is one of the only open registration tournaments in the world with a genuine grappling pit.
PRICING:
Registration for this event opens on June 1st 2025
From Sunday June 1st when registration opens to the following Saturday June 7th we will run a flash sale! The flash sale will be:
•$65 FOR TWO DIVISIONS - GI AND NO GI
At midnight June 8th the flash sale will end and we will move to regular pricing.
Regular pricing is a $65 registration fee for one division or $100 for two divisions.
On September 1st we will move to late pricing.
Late pricing is an $80 registration fee for one division or $100 for two divisions.
SUPERFIGHTS
Match 1 - TBD vs TBD
Match 2 - TBD vs TBD
Match 3 - TBD vs TBD
ABSOLUTE - Following our final superfight all black belts are welcome to join in an absolute division. You may sign up for the black belt absolute whether you have a superfight or not.
Spectators:
Tickets will be available in person at the door with cash or card. We encourage everyone to bring their families and friends to support the athletes. We will have seating for 650+ spectators on the field.
As a reminder the address for the venue is William David Sitton Field at the University of Arizona.
Spectator tickets are available at the door with cash or card for $12.
We will have local vendors with food, gear, and everything else for spectators to check out!
Spectator Fees:
$12 (Children under the age of 3 are free)
2 (two) coaches are allowed free entry for each participating gym. A gym is allowed 1 (one) additional coach for every 5 (five) athletes the gym has participating above 15 (fifteen) registrations.
Rules:
NEW OFFICIAL RULEBOOK COMING 6/6/25
The official rulebook for 2025 and beyond will be published on Friday June 6th. Legal/illegal techniques will be very similar and points will remain the same. The main focus of the updated rulebook will be for rules involving pit matches and a few adjustments to the rules for kids matches.
The rulebook will be posted here, on social media, and sent to coaches in the Tucson area.
All of our referees are certified professionals with the IBJJF.
CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL LIST OF ILLEGAL TECHNIQUES FOR EACH BELT LEVEL
Awards:
Divisions with 3 people will be round robin brackets (everyone fights everyone) and divisions with 4 people or more will be single elimination with a bronze medal match.
Medals will be awarded to the 1st place, 2nd place and 3rd place winners of each division.
In the event of an athlete not having anyone else registered in their age or weight divisions we will combine divisions to make fair matchups. Children who are moved into another weight division due to being the only competitor in their division will be awarded a gold medal regardless of placement in the division they are moved into if the family desires.
Athletes who do not compete are not guaranteed a medal at the event.
Team Trophies:
SmoothComp tracks the progress of each academy participating and awards points as competitors place in their respective divisions. At the end of the event we will award trophies to the top three overall academies of the day.
BOUNTIES - CASH BONUS:
Submission techniques common to the sport will be shared on social media that, if performed during a match to force an opponent to tap out verbally or physically, will result in the fighter who performed the technique receiving $25 and a “Submission of the Night” certificate. The fighter does not have to win their respective division to receive the submission of the night award; the fighter only needs to win a match by way of any approved technique. Since names are commonly changed in the sport, examples of these techniques will be on display on our social media. The techniques are commonly referred to under the following names:
1. LOOP CHOKES
2. D'ARCE CHOKES AND ANACONDA CHOKES
The referee for your individual match will have all say in whether or not your techniques performed are eligible for a submission of the night bonus. Their decision is final.
Athletes can perform these techniques to earn the submission of the night bonus in gi or no gi divisions but please note that some submissions are not possible without a gi.
An athlete may only win one submission of the night bonus.
Athletes are not encouraged to attempt techniques they are not familiar with and are encouraged to compete with their own safety in mind.
WEIGH-INS:
ALL WEIGH-INS WILL BE THE DAY OF THE EVENT STARTING AT 12 PM NOON
Every athlete can report to the weigh-in table starting at 12 PM the day of the competition, September 27th, at Sitton Field. No athletes are required to weigh in with their gi on.
If an athlete does not make their weight on the first attempt they will have an hour from the time they first weigh-in to make the weight.
There is a 1 pound weight allowance for athletes competing in no gi divisions. See why below.
There is no weight allowance for gi divisions since athletes will not weigh-in with their gi. See details below. See why below.
Please make sure that you are in the correct weight division. You can change divisions up until the September 23rd deadline. No changes will be accepted on the day of the tournament. No refunds will be given to disqualified athletes.
Gi Example: - 107.0 lbs means athletes must weigh 107.0 lbs in a Gi division. Any weight over 107 lbs will result in disqualification.
No Gi Example: - 107.0 lbs means athletes must weigh 107.0 lbs with a maximum of 108.0 lbs in a No Gi division. Any weight over 108 lbs will result in disqualification.
No athletes are required to wear their gi for weigh-ins. Most gis are the same weight, so we are not requiring athletes competing in gi divisions to wear the gi since any two athletes who successfully make weight will weigh the same while wearing a gi. Athletes competing in both gi an no gi divisions are not required to wear their gi for weigh-ins.
SCHEDULE/WEATHER:
The event will start at 1:00 PM and run until matches are finished around 9 o'clock so that everyone gets the Under the Lights experience.
Brackets and schedules will be released Thursday night September 25th.
2 coaches per gym get in for free! Tell the front desk attendants which gym you are coaching for.
The official matches and brackets will be released Thursday night September 25th.
Backup Indoor Venue:
The current forecast for September 27th shows no rain or clouds. For this tournament, we will have a backup indoor space at the University reserved in the very unlikely chance of rain. The event will not be postponed or cancelled under any weather circumstances, we will move the event indoors if we absolutely have to, but that is very unlikely at this time.
Others:
Refunds will only be offered in the event of an athlete not getting any matches. If an athlete wishes to drop out for any other reason we will offer you a credit to a future competition. We host 2 competitions each year, so we will make up for your lost registration if you give notice that you are not able to make the event. Only notices of cancellation 48 hours prior to brackets being released will result in future competition credit.
Athletes who place in 1st, 2nd and 3rd in their division will receive a medal at the event. All competitors must wear the uniform they competed in when on the podium. Gi winners must wear their gi on the podium and no gi winners are required to wear their no gi uniform. All the medals must be picked up at the event’s podium. Pretend Media Corporation is not responsible for shipping medals.
The War Under the Lights LLC reserves the right to close registration when we reach full capacity, or on the day of the appointed event registration deadline, whichever comes first.
It is the responsibility of the athlete to be knowledgeable of the rules and guidelines pertaining to the sport (as outlined in our rulebook). Please check the rules for the event here.
SAFETY PROTOCOL:
The safety of our competitors is our first priority. All referees will be experienced and know our rules and protocols to keep everyone as safe as possible.
There will be medics on-site to access any injuries that occur during matches.
Thank you all for your consideration in competing with us! We're excited to bring this opportunity to athletes at all ages.
Individuals with disabilities who need accommodations to attend this event may contact Steven Macardican (stevenm@pretendmedia.net). It is requested that individuals requiring accommodations or auxiliary aids such as sign language interpreters and alternative format materials notify us at least 7 days prior to the event. Every reasonable effort will be made to provide reasonable accommodations in an effective and timely manner.
